Alabama LB Mosley brings strength, speed to Tide defense

Friday

Nov 30, 2012 at 6:17 PM

Yousef Baig

This might be C.J. Mosley's first time playing in the Southeastern Conference Championship, but he's treating it like any other game.

"We're just coming into this game treating it like it's the next week," he said. "We've got to make sure we don't worry about the small stuff and all the media and things like that. We've got to focus on doing our job and executing the game plan."

The 6-foot-2, 232-pound linebacker was playing his final season at Theodore High School when he watched the Crimson Tide beat Florida to win the SEC in 2009.

Now, as a junior, Mosley will get his first opportunity to play for the conference title in the Georgia Dome as the most distinguished player Alabama's top-ranked defense.

The Butkus Award finalist leads the unit with 92 total tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said he is fully aware of the threat that Mosley can be, and is making sure his offense accounts for him before each play.

"He's an athletic guy that can close space in a hurry," Bobo said. "He's a lot like our (Alec Ogletree) in his range on the field. He's a guy you can't squeeze a tight throw into a window. We've just got to know where he is."

Like Georgia, the Crimson Tide runs a 3-4 defensive scheme run by former Georgia player Kirby Smart.

Even though Smart has the unit at the top of nearly every statistical category on defense in the country, finding success with the scheme isn't as simple as putting talent on the field.

"(You need) players that are willing to work and willing do the right things and execute their jobs for the system to work," Mosley said. "The D-line - they have to hold blocks, they have to get certain guys. The linebackers have to play their roles and stop the run and pass. You have to depend on and believe in the secondary to defend the pass when we blitz or when we're rushing. Overall, it's a great defense but we have to make sure we have guys that are very coachable and committed to doing their jobs."

The group isn't bulletproof, though.

Alabama's defense has given up more than 400 yards to opposing offenses twice this season - in its comeback win over LSU and in its loss to Texas A&M.

"Those two games we knew and the coaches knew … from a defensive standpoint that we didn't play our best," Mosley said. "Those games happened for a reason and they got those types of yards on those types of plays for a reason."

It took a return to square one for Mosley and his unit to refocus and get back to the level they were used to playing at.

"After the loss, we pretty much got back to the basics of doing what we have to do. (That meant) doing the little things every day in practice: wrapping up, finishing tackles, footwork and things like that because once you lose sight of those is when the big plays happen."

Now the Crimson Tide faces an explosive Georgia offense that averages 463.7 total yards per game.

The Bulldogs boast two true freshmen running backs, Todd Gurley and Kieth Marshall, who have combined for 1,906 yards on the ground this season.

"We haven't really faced a team that's got a one-two punch like that," Mosley said. "That's one of the reasons Georgia's offense is pretty explosive."

Despite the opposing threat, Alabama's defense has the benefit of squaring off against its own tandem backfield with T.J. Yeldon and Eddie Lacy every single day.

"We go against two great running backs each day at practice," Mosley said. "We've got to use that to our advantage and make sure that we do our best to contain (Gurley and Marshall)."

With a national championship berth on the line, this SEC championship game against Georgia could not be any bigger. But for Mosley, the road to get to this moment meant a championship effort each and every Saturday.

"Why try to do so much more for the last game if you didn't for the first 12 games," he said. "If that's the case then you weren't giving it your all from the get-go."

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